Sunday data/statistics link roundup (1/20/2013)

This might be short. I have a couple of classes starting on Monday. The first is our Johns Hopkins Advanced Methods class. This is one of my favorite classes to teach, our Ph.D. students are pretty awesome and they always amaze me with what they can do. The other is my Coursera debut in Data Analysis. We are at about 88,000 enrolled. Tell your friends, maybe we can make it an even 100k! In related news, some California schools are experimenting with offering credit for online courses. (via Sherri R.)

Some interesting numbers on why there aren’t as many “gunners” in the NBA – players who score a huge number of points. I love the talk about hustling, rotating team defense. I have always enjoyed watching good defense more than good offense. It might not be the most popular thing to watch, but seeing the Spurs rotate perfectly to cover the open man is a thing of athletic beauty. My Aggies aren’t too bad at it either…(via Rafa).

A really interesting article suggesting that nonsense math can make arguments seem more convincing to non-technical audiences. This is tangentially related to a previous study which showed that more equations led to fewer citations in biology articles. Overall, my take home message is that we don’t need less equations necessarily; we need to elevate statistical/quantitative literacy to the importance of reading literacy. (via David S.)